Teknoman Episodes
by Scutter
Summary: A fic-version of the episodes of the second half of the Teknoman series. Episode 29 now up... after a medium-sized wait. Yay!
1. Episode 27 Red Saviour

Episode 27 - Red Saviour  
By Scutter  
scutter1200@hotmail.com  
  
Being one of the highly fortunate people who has seen the entire series of Teknoman, I always felt sorry for the people who missed the second half. So I thought I'd write the episodes as fics - just as an improvement from the scripts, which can be hard to understand if there's no action going on in between the speaking. I've tried to remain faithful to the real series, but of course, some of the thoughts and actions of the characters are my own interpretation of what's going on.  
  
If you enjoy reading this episode, please let me know. It's a bit of effort to write these (though some fun as well) and I probably won't do any more if people aren't interested.  
  
I don't own the characters of Teknoman, or the script, plot or pretty much anything else in this fic. I do own the fic, though, so keep your hands off! I also own a stapler, but it's broken right now.  
  
And now, for your reading pleasure, Episode 27 - Red Saviour.  
  
  
The Earth was in a desperate situation. Wave after wave of spidercrabs descended daily from the Space Ring, spreading their evil crop, the Vemonoid spore trees across the planet. Towns were devastated by the invasion, with hardly a scrap of land being seen to remain untouched by the ravaging. And the Space Knights remained strangely absent...  
  
Even the remotest towns weren't spared from the attack, their walls surrounded by the huge red plants. But it was for a different reason that the inhabitants of one town in particular remained in hiding...  
  
Little more than dust dared to wander the streets of Shangli. Wind was the only voice to be heard between the houses. A squeaky door trembled in the wind, fluttering until it, too, was silenced, it's hinges unable to take the strain, as it clattered against the wall and went still.  
  
Then, an unearthly sound broke the awful silence. The unmistakable, cold, almost mechanical clang of a spidercrab filled the air. And somehow, the empty air became thick and heavy.  
  
Hiding in the shadows of an abandoned shop, a small boy gazed at the monster outside, almost as much in awe as in fear of the creature.  
  
"Look!" He whispered urgently. The sight was indeed incredible!  
  
"Rashib, no! Be still." The reprimand was equally as hushed, but the command in it was unmistakable, and the boy went still.  
  
Hushed mutterings passed among the shadows, glimpses of light played over surreptitious movements, until...  
  
"Now!" The cry had barely shattered the silence when an explosion of dust and gravel filled the air... along with the injured screams of the spidercrab.  
  
Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Rashib leapt to his feet. "It worked!"  
  
His grandfather was less easily impressed. "Quickly, to the pit. Hurry," he demanded of the villagers, who cautiously followed, hopeful, but none too eager to face the beast.  
  
Fortunately, luck seemed to be on their side. The spidercrab, immense as it was, was held fast by the sticky resin that filled the pit. It screamed it's anger at the villagers, but they remained impassive, observing the creature with cold, distasteful eyes.  
  
Someone, at least, seemed satisfied. "That should hold it." Moresh allowed just the slightest hint of victoriousness into his voice.  
  
"That is our hope." Kraleb replied, though he remained more cautious than his brother. "The question is for just how long will the beast be held?"  
  
Rashib glared down at the struggling creature. It didn't look so dangerous to him, though he had been warned often enough of their terrible strength... "Why are we using a trap?" He asked impatiently. "Why don't we just destroy the spidercrab, grandfather?"  
  
Mobarak sighed. If only it were that simple... "Our weapons are the reason for this, Rashib," He explained. "These monsters are too strong for mere bullets to harm them. But as long as the creature is trapped here we are safe for a while." Even if just for a while, he reminded himself grimly.  
  
Rashib frowned. "I see." In his young life, he'd never seen anything that could stand up against bullets. These creatures must indeed be powerful, then. How could they possibly be fought? "Then we wait for the Saviour in Red." He quite clearly remembered the tales of the Saviour in Red; all the boys in the village talked about him.  
  
Mobarak turned to his grandson. "Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
"They all talk about the Saviour in Red," Rashib explained, light once again filling his young eyes. "How he can destroy the spidercrabs with help from no one."  
  
"They always tell such stories," Mobarak snapped angrily. "They lie."  
  
"I heard this from someone who saw it with his very own eyes!" Rashib shouted angrily.  
  
Mobarak frowned deeply. Such stories could only lead to more injury, further down the track. "Then this person lied to you, my grandson," He replied firmly. "There is no Saviour in Red or any other colour who can protect us from them. Ever since these monsters came down from the Space-Ring, people have wanted to have a protector, but there is no one. We must ourselves be strong. This is truth, my grandson." It was the only way any of them would survive, to look after themselves.  
  
But Rashib, with the stubbornness of the child he was, would not be swayed. "Yet if there really is a Red Saviour, Grandfather, we wouldn't have to fear the Spidercrabs. The village would be safe." He considered this in his own mind for a moment. "It's true," He concluded, a minute later. "It's as they say. Our saviour is the Teknoman Blade."  
  
Somewhere in the crowd of people, a stranger's ears pricked up. So... word of the Teknoman had reached even this remote place...  
  
"Teknoman Blade?" Mobarak mulled over the strange word. Could it really be... "Rashib this is only a story that you heard somewhere. We are alone. This Teknoman will not save us."  
  
"But Grandfather, what if he truly can?"  
  
Mobarak had had enough of this argument. "Rashib, you must not let daydreams govern your life. We depend only on ourselves. That is the only way we shall survive. Understand?" The boy didn't reply. "I said do you understand, Rashib?"  
  
Rashib sighed, defeated. "Yes, Grandfather."  
  
"Then come along," Mobarak ordered. Now the Spidercrab was dealt with, there was work to be done. "All of you!"  
  
The villagers obediently turned from the awesome beast to follow their leader. "Yes, at once, Affendi."  
  
No one noticed the lone figure who remained at the pit's edge, a cloak shrouding his face from the wind-blown sands. For several long minutes, he stared down at the struggling creature. It was only a matter of time before it broke free, he knew. Only a matter of time...  
  
  
Over at the power generator's underground shelter, the villagers were busy hauling the concrete cover away. The huge slab fell with a resounding thud.   
  
"Let us see if we still have power," Mobarak ordered.  
  
"At once, Affendi," the generator's operators agreed.   
  
Once the dust settled, the two men ventured into the dim tunnel, flashlights cutting a small path in the darkness.  
  
Fortune was on their side, it seemed, as the dials and switches lit up quickly. "We have power once again, Affendi," they informed their leader.  
  
"Quickly, before we attract more spidercrabs." The villagers dutifully lined up to recharge their portable power-packs.  
  
  
Later, Mobarak sat with his grandson in the shade of a building, as the last of the villagers recharged their packs. The days were hot, and midday lent itself only to resting and naps. At yet, for all his relaxed appearance, Mobarak was watching very carefully the stranger who sat a little way off from them. "I see you are new to the village, my friend." He ventured, after some thought. "You are not the first, nor will be the last to journey here. All who come here come seeking the power we still have, but since the monsters came we are willing to share.  
  
"Excuse me, sir," Rashib wandered closer to the stranger. "Are you thirsty? Would you like to have a drink?"  
  
"Uh huh." The stranger replied, but as his hand reached out to take the water bottle, the ground shook beneath them, and then the air was filled with the unmistakable scream of a Spidercrab.  
  
"Aaahh! What is that?" Rashib screamed, staggering to keep his footing. "Grandfather! Nothing stops it."  
  
Mobarak stared in horror as the huge creature withstood the barrage of bullets as if they were mere confetti. "If that creature destroys our generator, we can no longer live in the village."  
  
Men were sent flying as huge tentacles whipped through the air. Then the spidercrab spotted the small group beside the building.  
  
"We must run for our lives," Mobarak commanded, as he felt the weight of the beast's gaze. "Hurry, everyone."  
  
Though he ran with them, the strangers thoughts were taking a different path. Run? Run where? There's no way we can out-run this thing on foot...  
  
Rashib, too, was aware of their dire situation, and sent a prayer to who ever might be listening. Please, if the Red Saviour is out there, let him come to us now.  
  
Deciding his time was up, the stranger slide to a halt, and turned to face the Spidercrab. "Keep going. I'll cover you!" he yelled to the villagers.  
  
But Mobarak did not want to leave another man to be killed by this monster, even if he was a stranger. "We cannot do that," he yelled back, also coming to a halt.  
  
The stranger lost what little patience he had with the old man. "Do it anyway!" Then he turned away from the pair. They would have to take their own chances in this.  
  
Mobarak heard the determination in the man's voice, and took his grandson's arm. Maybe he couldn't save everyone... but if he could save Rashib, then the stranger's sacrifice would not be meaningless.  
  
Meanwhile, the cloaked man's attention was fixed firmly on the oncoming spidercrab. "Come on, baby. Yeah! Here I am, Come and get me!"   
  
It was an awesome sight, as they watched from the shadows, seeing one man face up to the giant creature, dodging the powerful claws like a dancer. "Come on, you blue blade special!" He goaded the creature on, alternately firing at it, and running to keep ahead of it.  
  
From his hiding place, Rashib cringed. "Watch out! Please, oh please, let the Red Saviour come to help," he repeated his earlier prayer.  
  
Suddenly, out of the sand and dust, came a fiery ball of blue light. It impacted the spidercrab head on, sending one of the huge claws crashing to the ground as the monster screamed in pain. Then a second blast shot out of the shadows, enveloping the entire creature is a furnace of blue electricity, vaporising it in a cloud of wind and dust.   
  
"He's come," Rashib stated, almost in disbelief. "Finally, it's Blade. Our saviour!" His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Teknoman's going to save the village!!" Rashib couldn't contain his excitement. "Yaaaay. Red Saviour's come to help us. Grandfather, it's Blade the Teknoman. You see, I said he'd come to help us, and here he is."  
  
They both stared at the tall figure emerging from the dust. But when the air cleared, what they saw was something of a surprise. Before them stood a bulky, blue and white suit. A robust machine, to be sure, but nothing compared to the rumoured invincible Red Saviour.  
  
"Wait. That is not Blade," Rashib muttered, dismayed.  
  
Suddenly, from out of the sky, a voice agreed. "You're right. That's not Blade. Just some pitiful creature dressed up as a Teknoman. It's almost a waste of my powers to use them on such a puny opponent."  
  
Inside his teknosuit, Ringo suppressed a groan. Just when things were looking up, *he* had to show up. He glared up at Axe, calmly taking in the squadron of spidercrabs filling the sky behind the teknoman. "If you fight as well as you talk you might be a challenge, but somehow, I doubt it." This would not be a pretty battle, Ringo knew. But, he thought, as he surveyed the village, what choice did he have? Leave the villagers at the tyrant's mercy? Ah, it was all in a days work, wasn't it?  
  
Rashib's brow furrowed in a look too severe for his young face. "If he's not Blade, he can't win."  
  
Axe smirked beneath his suit. "Look at it this way. At least you have the honour of being destroyed by the greatest Teknoman of them all."  
  
"You'll pardon me if I decline the offer," Ringo threw back, activating his weapons system. He fired several rounds into the air, but only succeeded in pissing off the powerful teknoman, rather than doing any damage.  
  
"Insect. Now you'll see what true power really is. The power of the Tekno-axe." A wall of energy flew from the glowing axe towards Ringo, sending him flying backwards. "Come on, that's all you got?" he taunted. In answer, the next attack came quickly, knocking him off his feet.  
  
Watching from the sidelines, Rashib gasped in concern. This was NOT looking good...  
  
Axe, however, couldn't have liked the sight more. "Where are your pitiful jokes now? Teknoman got your tongue?" He taunted right back at Ringo.  
  
Ringo tried to get to his feet, but failed, the suit having taken a little too much damage for the moment.  
  
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Rashib called from the cover of a building. This man, whoever he may be, was doing all he could to help the village... And Rashib thought it only right that he get some help in return. "He needs help!" He cried, as he saw Ringo fall, and dashed out into the street, slipping from his grandfather's grasp.  
  
"Rashib, come back. Don't go out there!" Mobarak cried desperately.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, kid? Go back!" Ringo yelled. Foolhardy thing to be doing, crazy kid!  
  
Rashib paused in the middle of the street. "No," he replied determinedly. "We are together. And together we will face what is to come." He struggled in Mobarak's grip, as his grandfather tried to wrestle his grandson back to shelter.  
  
"You mean it, don't you." Despite his concern for their safety, Ringo was truly impressed. "You've got a lot of guts, kid, and I appreciate the offer. But this is my fight, not yours," Ringo said firmly, finally regaining his feet.  
  
"But you're not the Red Saviour. What can you do?" Rashib shouted, as he was dragged away from the fight.  
  
"Until this Red Saviour of yours shows up, the only thing I can do. Keep fighting."  
  
"Come meet your doom." Axe called to him from the air.  
  
Cocky as ever, Ringo answered that challenge. "I don't think so."  
  
"What? You still me dare to oppose me?" Axe didn't sound too surprised, instead sending another burst from his teknoaxe towards Ringo... the attack meeting it's mark, knocking Ringo to the ground once more.  
  
Loosing his temper and the laughing teknoman, Ringo sent another round of blasts into the sky. "Laugh this off, Chuckles."  
  
"I'm scared," Axe mocked him.  
  
Suddenly, Ringo found he had a teknoaxe embedded in his chest, as Axe lunged for him. "The game's over, tekno-wimp."  
  
Helplessly lying on the ground, Ringo could only watch as the glowing axe was sent plunging down towards him...  
  
But before the weapon could land, Axe was engulfed in green fire, sent hurtling to the ground some metres from where Ringo lay.  
  
Axe moaned, as he stared at the sky from his prone position. Only one thing could have knocking him about to badly... "It can't be."  
  
Like the proverbial knight in shining armour, a large shadow loomed out of the blazing sun. "But it is," Blade replied calmly, regarding his fallen enemy with disdain. "And so is this." At his command, Pegas went soaring into the sky, both transforming to battle mode as they approached the swarm of spidercrabs.  
  
The villagers watched in awe as Blade and the teknobot raced through the sky, a green streamer of light flying behind them. Spidercrabs were   
vaporised as they passed.  
  
"I always loved playing connect the dots." Blade allowed himself just a little fun, as he destroyed the last of the spidercrabs.  
  
Mobarak stared in disbelief as the legion in the sky was destroyed. "Such power, all from just one man," he muttered to himself.  
  
"That is because he is the real Teknoman, Grandfather." Rashib spoke with admiration, though no small helping of awe filling his own voice.  
  
"My grandson, I am sorry for doubting you."  
  
Rashib forgave him easily, though he didn't take his eyes of the spectacle in the sky "You have said, grandfather, living is learning."  
  
"All right Axe, it's time to answer a few questions," Blade declared coldly, finally turning his attention to his most formidable enemy. "I hope I like the answers."  
  
"You're a big talker," Axe sneered. "But I noticed you took your time in getting here."  
  
"Well, I'm here now," Blade brushed off the intended insult, and launching himself at Axe.  
  
Opening the hatch to his shattered teknosuit, Ringo muttered to himself. "I don't believe it." After all this time, after so many months of wondering where he could be... It was hard to believe that Blade was really standing before him now.  
  
The air shook as the two warriors clashed. "I'll never forgive you for what you did to Shara," Blade muttered coldly. Time had not dulled his skills at all, as he and Axe threw everything they had at each other. Wrapping his arm cord around Axe's leg, Blade managed to send the huge mecha tumbling to the ground. And he followed up the move with a swift downward plunge of his lance... only to have Axe counter the attack, and send his fist into Blade's abdomen, severely winding the red warrior.  
  
"Having fun Blade?" Axe taunted from beneath the injured teknoman. "I know I am. And we've only just started." With that, he sent Blade tumbling off him, and leapt back into the sir, boarding his hovercraft as he shot away.  
  
"Come back here Axe!" Blade demanded. "We're not finished!"  
  
"Yes we are, Blade," Axe called back, dismissively. "But don't worry. I'll be back again. You can count on it."  
  
"I'll be waiting," Blade told the empty sky. He was none too steady on his feet yet, but, as in the past, Ringo stepped up behind him with a steadying hand. "Thanks Ringo," Blade acknowledged him, not sure himself whether he was grateful for the support, or the attempt Ringo had made in battle, to save the village.  
  
"I have not ever seen anything like that!" Now they were out of danger, Rashib's enthusiasm was once again uncontainable. "You saved our village. You saved our power. You saved us. This is my grandfather, Mobarak," he introduced the man to the Red Saviour. "He is the leader of our village."  
  
"My grandson," Mobarak smiled, placing his arm around the boy's shoulders.  
  
"The village is safe," Rashib continued. "We thank you, Teknoman."  
  
  
Later, in a secluded spot outside the village, Ringo smiled at his friend as they shook hands, finally able to have a private word with each other.  
  
"It's good to see you, pal," Ringo said, relief as well as warmth in his voice.  
  
"And you," Blade replied, laconic as always, but genuine in his affections.  
  
Ringo hesitated a moment, unsure as to how to broach the subject of Blade's absence. He was dying of curiosity, but on the other hand, some things were best just left unsaid... "After all these months, we weren't sure any more," he tried. "We didn't know where you'd gone."  
  
"Yeah," Blade agreed ruefully.  
  
Seeing there was no apparent discomfort in his friend, Ringo continued, "None of our contact points got any messages. Why didn't you leave us some word?"  
  
Blade frowned. "The truth is, my friend, I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going. I was lost," he admitted helplessly.  
  
Ringo regarded him in astonishment. "I don't understand. What... What were you so confused about? What happened?"  
  
Blade glared at him. "I lost my family, Ringo." Nothing would let him forget the sound of Shara's voice as she had met her end at Saber's hands... or Saber's cold, callousness as he turned against his younger sister.  
  
Ringo nodded, ashamed of his insensitivity. "I'm sorry, buddy. We all liked her a lot."  
  
Blade was silent for a moment, regarding the ground as he was lost in thought. Then he lifted his head again. "We've got to find a way to get the aliens off this planet." His voice held a determination Ringo had rarely heard from him. "We're the only ones who can ensure the survival of the human race. I've got to destroy Darkon. I've got to get up to the moon."  
  
"In what?" Ringo asked, slightly concerned about his friend's apparent plans.  
  
"Don't you worry about that, Ringo." Blade looked sideways at the blond pilot. "I know where the base is and I know how to get there.  
  
"There are no space ships. They were all destroyed. So you're not planning to fly there," Ringo countered practically.  
  
"Yes, that's exactly what I plan on doing, by redirecting the quantum energy power of a Teknoman crystal. That's why I've been travelling. I need to find another crystal," Blade explained.  
  
"Listen, you're one taco short of a combination plate," Ringo murmured in exasperation.  
  
"You listen, Ringo," Blade snapped back. "The last thing my sister gave me was Darkon's base coordinates."  
  
Ringo decided that now was a god time for a strategic withdrawal. "Sorry Blade. I know how you felt about Shara and I didn't mean any disrespect."  
  
"I know. I know you didn't," Blade apologised.  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"Blade, what are we going to do?" Ringo asked quietly. "What's this planet going to be like?"  
  
"It's going to be better," Blade replied, without the slightest hesitation. "After we rebuild, it's going to be better.  
  
"Hmm." Ringo was decidedly non-committal. "Well, you'll get no argument from me there. No way it could get any worse.  
  
Blade turned to Ringo with impatience. "Ringo, it could be a lot worse."  
  
Ringo almost managed a smile. "Yeah, well, I gotta admit it, you've got a point there all right. After all, we're still alive and kicking aren't we? Somehow I never thought of you as a cock-eyed optimist." Ringo smirked, his usual sense of humour returning quickly.  
  
Blade stared at his friend for a moment, as if considering his words carefully. "Did everyone get out all right?" He asked finally.  
  
Ringo's smirk deepened. "Are you asking about everyone in general?" He   
asked teasingly. "Or are you asking about someone in particular?" Blade didn't reply. Ringo smiled a little less teasingly. He may be a prankster, but he was not insensitive. "Come on," he urged quietly. High time his friends got themselves sorted out, in his opinion.  
  
  
Back at the landcruiser, a less amiable conversation was going on.  
  
Maggie picked up a limp strand of potato, regarding it like it would crawl up her hand and bite her. "What is this," she asked finally, "an ammunition belt or fried potatoes?"  
  
Tina glared at her, and stuck her hands on her hips. Okay, so it looked strange, but it was bound to taste fine! "If you don't like the way I cook why don't you do it next time?" It would serve the bossy technician right!  
  
Maggie held the thing a little further away from herself. "Listen, I'm a mechanic and in my professional opinion, this is beyond repair."  
  
Not to be outdone, Tina bit back, "Oh yeah? What would a grease monkey know about cooking?"  
  
"More than you do, Button Pusher."  
  
Watching from a little way away, Star smiled to herself, as she washed the dishes from dinner. She would admit that sometimes the squabbling got tiring, but tonight, she somehow didn't mind the pointless chatter. It had been a lonely day. Long roads and little company... the sort of day where she had far too much time to think. Thinking about the war, and how far off the rails her life had gotten, and where Blade might be... She mentally scolded herself. Those kind of thoughts only ever made her feel worse. Oh, but how much she longed to hear his voice...  
  
"Is than sink private or can anybody wash dishes?"  
  
Star froze. She would know that voice anywhere... But no, it couldn't be. She was just hearing things... For a moment, she didn't dare turn around. Then curiosity finally got the better of her.  
  
Oh, but he looked almost ethereal, standing there. Star felt she should say something, welcome him back, but an intelligent "uh" was all she was able to manage.  
  
Blade seemed similarly affected. And for a moment, it seemed they would stand there all night. Ringo smiled wryly to himself. Obviously, these two love-birds needed a little extra help. He clapped his hand down on Blade's shoulder. "What are you waiting for?" He asked impatiently, giving his friend a none-too-gentle shove forward.  
  
Blade stumbled, but managed to right himself, his eyes still fixed to Star's face.  
  
Star finally found her voice. "It's good to see you." Mentally she kicked herself. Could she sound any less enthusiastic if she tried? Suddenly, an attack of klutz hit, just at the wrong moment, and she sent one of the mugs she had been washing tumbling to the ground as she stepped toward him. "Oh!" Great, what a terrific way to impress the guy of your dreams...  
  
Tina and Maggie heard the cup clatter to the ground, and paused in their squabbling to look round. Both looked stunned at what they saw.  
  
For once in his life, Blade decided to hell with pride and caution, he was tired of waiting. "You look... beautiful," He fumbled, with touching honesty. "I've been wanting to tell you that. I've been wanting to tell you..." Words failed him, but fortunately, it was enough.  
  
"How much you care?" Star asked, forgetting all about her attempt to stay calm. Her heart was in her throat as she waited for his reply.  
  
Blade nodded. "Uh huh." Not the most eloquent reply, but with his heart racing, making it so very hard to breathe, it would have to do.  
  
Star faltered for a moment. This couldn't just be another dream, could it? She'd dreamt of his return so often, and each time awoken to cold tears and a bigger void in her chest. Then, she decided she didn't care. She just wanted to be as close to him as she could be right now. Tears brimming in her eyes, she ran the last few steps, and threw herself into his arms. "Oh Blade. I care about you too. I care so much."  
  
Blade pulled her close, revelling in the feeling of her arms around him, at last, her warm breath against his neck. "I'm here," He told her emphatically. "I'm here. And I won't ever leave you again."  
  
  
  
To be continued... if you want it to be? It's in your hands. Write a review if you care.  



	2. Episode 28 Running on Empty

Episode 28 - Running on Empty  
  
Transcribed by   
  
Okay, so it's been about 3 years since I did one of these. I know, long time to wait. But I'll try not to make it as long until the next episode, okay? And thanks to the people who wrote reviews to episode 27. I hadn't forgotten you. Just been a little sidetracked.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Teknoman, or the script, or the plot. This is just a fic-version of an episode I don't own.  
  
The landcruiser's engines roared powerfully as it forced its way through the dense forest of spore trees, cutting through the thick growths without difficulty.  
  
On board, Star and Maggie continued their systems check of Blade's battered Teknobot.  
  
"How about the flux indicators? Are they stable?" Star asked, ticking off another point on her checklist.  
  
"Yep, they look just fine." Maggie smiled as she relayed the information to Star.  
  
"Way to go, Maggie, that's great. And the data feed systems, are they still on line?"  
  
"Checking now. Yes, still on line." Maggie flashed a grin at her companion, as the information flashed up on the screen.  
  
"It's better than we could have hoped for." Star looked up from her screen with a smile of her own.  
  
"Teknobot, you've passed inspection," Maggie informed the large robot. "You may now shut down all non-essential operations."  
  
"Affirmative," Pegas replied in his deep, mechanical voice.  
  
At the wheel of the landcruiser, Ringo's mood was a little less optimistic. "We're about out of juice," he muttered with a sigh. "If we don't get a charge soon, we're not going anywhere." Squinting through the windshield, he peered into the distance. "All of our energy tanks are nearly empty and we're still a long way from anywhere." He scowled across at his team mates. "I don't mean to be a drag or anything, but..."  
  
"Then don't be," Tina told him sternly. "Think of a way to keep going instead."  
  
"We can always get out and push," Ringo returned, with a wry grin.  
  
Behind them, the door to the cabin hissed open.  
  
"Hi, guys. Good news," Maggie chirped as she and Star entered the room. "We finished scanning the teknobot and teknosuit."  
  
"And we're selling them for scrap, right?" Ringo asked, as he turned to greet the pair.  
  
"Quite the contrary, Ringo. They're both functioning remarkably well, considering what they've been through," Maggie told him, leaning over the back of his chair.  
  
"That's a relief, isn't it, Blade." Tina smiled at the solemn young man. "A little good news for a change."  
  
Blade, as usual, did not reply.  
  
"They're not in perfect shape by any means," Maggie continued seriously. She leaned over towards Blade. "They've sustained considerable damage, structurally and systemically, the most serious damage being to the emerald crystal in the teknobot. It's going to have to be replaced... if we can even find another one," Maggie added, a little more pessimistically.  
  
"Sure we can," Ringo drawled. "We'll just take the crystal out of one of those other teknomen, Sabre and those goons he hangs with."  
  
"It won't be easy," Blade spoke up at last, "but if we can find a new crystal it'll give me the power to reach Darkon's base on the far side of the moon."  
  
"Hold on, first things first, Blade," Maggie interrupted. "If we did install a new crystal I'd want to run some tests first, back in my lab in the command centre."  
  
"What's that?" Blade looked around in surprise. "I thought the command centre was totally destroyed."  
  
"It was," Tina agreed.  
  
"The effort to rebuild it is being overseen by Mac and Commander Jamison," Star filled Blade in. "The damage is so extensive there's no saying when or even if it'll ever be fully operational."  
  
Back in the Command Centre, Mac spread out a sheet of schematics before the team of engineers.  
  
"So you see, before we can do that we've got to sure up the structure," he explained. "And before we can do that, we've got to tear down this catapult and rebuild it."  
  
"When will it be completed?" Blade asked, a frown darkening his face.  
  
"Don't know." Tina answered, then yelped as the landcruiser hit a rough patch of road.  
  
"Because we haven't been able to make radio contact with them," Ringo continued, for once serious. "Meanwhile, for five months now we've been wandering around like a bunch of blind mice, trying to find a shuttle, a ship, a blimp, anything to replace the Blue Earth. And in the mean time, our friend Darkon has been one busy beaver, turning our planet into one giant hot house for these spore plants of their's."  
  
"The spores are everywhere, Blade," Star butted in urgently. "And they're getting ready to bloom all over the planet. That's what your sister Shara was warning us about," She continued, her voice a touch softer. "And when they do, the venomoids will have accomplished their goal."  
  
"Yes, I know," Blade agreed. "But there's got to be more to it than that." A frown on concentration slid across his face.  
  
"Well, if it comes to you let us know, will you pal?" Ringo added, with a touch of sarcasm.  
  
"The one thing I am sure of is that I've got to defeat Sabre and the other Teknomen and use one of their crystals to replace mine."  
  
"That won't be easy," Star cautioned him.  
  
"I know." Blade murmured.  
  
Ringo smirked. "Yeah, if you're going to take on all four of them, tell me where I should send the flowers."  
  
"Ringo," Star gasped. As if Blade didn't have enough problems without Ringo's input. "Geez. Grow up." Star scowled. Even the thought of losing Blade was enough to get her on edge.  
  
"Look, a town!" Tina cried suddenly.  
  
"A town." Star's attention snapped to the front viewer. "People!"  
  
"Lights, power, hot water, showers," Tina crowed excitedly.  
  
"Ya see, no big thing," Ringo said with a smirk in his voice. "I told you we'd make it. I don't know what everyone was getting so excited about." More than a little relieved, he pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator.  
  
The warm light of the camp fire flickered brightly over the side of the landcruiser. Hovering over the folding table that Maggie had christened a kitchen bench, Star bit her lip in an attempt to keep her cool.  
  
"Where'd you learn about cooking, Star?" Tina asked innocently.  
  
"Oh, here and there," she answered evasively. Indeed, her entire cooking experience consisted of making toast as a child, and serving it, cold and soggy with jam, to her parents on various occasions. No, that actually wasn't true, she remembered! She had seen quite a few cooking programs on television. It had never looked very difficult then... Besides which, Star wasn't attempting anything so difficult as Tandoori lamb or a full roast dinner. Just a simple stew...  
  
"Oooh! Ow!" Star winced as the knife slipped yet again, taking another slice into her already abused fingers. "I hate peeling potatoes."  
  
Maggie grinned, while Tina looked on in concern. "I guess Star's a little more comfortable punching a keyboard than cooking." Maggie interjected helpfully. "At this rate we'll have more fingers than potatoes in the stew."  
  
As if wishing to prove her right, Star's knife slipped again. "Owww!" The battered thumb was quickly stuck into Star's mouth, in the hope that it wouldn't bleed as much as the last one had.  
  
"Here, let me do that," Maggie delicately snatched the knife from Star, "while you, er, triangulate our coordinates or something." Maggie smiled brightly, desperately hoping that Star would take the completely non-subtle hint, and let her finish making dinner.  
  
A somewhat wounded expression crossed Star's face. "You're right. I might as well stick to something I'm good at, huh?" Unable to defend herself any further, Star slunk off into the landcruiser, doing an almost perfect impression of Blade in full-brood mode.  
  
Tina struggled to maintain what she hoped was an encouraging expression until Star had rounded the corner. Then she spun on Maggie with a glare. "Well, that was really diplomatic," she snapped. "Honestly, Maggie, sometimes you can be so dense. Making this dinner for Blade meant a lot to her, and then you had to go and make her feel like she was just getting in the way." So much like a big brother to her, Tina was acutely aware of Blade's struggle with his feelings for Star... and Star's equally frustrating struggle to get him to loosen up.  
  
Maggie's expression changed from surprised, to confused, and finally to apologetic. "I honestly didn't mean to hurt her feelings. It's just... we don't have many potatoes left..." She gestured helplessly to the few small potatoes that Star had managed to peel.   
  
Inside the landcruiser, Star sat mournfully at the computer console, tapping idly on the keys. "What was I thinking?" she mentally abused herself. "I'm no good around anything but machines and circuit boards. I can't even peel a potato." It seemed ridiculous - she could rewire an entire spaceship, bring down a spider-crab without flinching and navigate a zero-G landing on rough ground without rear stabilisers, and yet such a simple task as peeling a potato remained elusive to her. What did she have to do, what could she do, to get Blade's attention? He had been warm enough in his greeting to her, when he had returned to them from goodness knows where, but even now, when she thought she had broken through some of his barriers, he remained distant and elusive.   
  
Meanwhile, Ringo was facing his own struggle, as he attempted to remain civil, in the face of a hideous opponent...  
  
"For the last time, the answer is no," the town's Mayor growled at the intruders in his office. He was a large, heavy set man, with a gruff voice and a rough disposition - more a result of his struggle to keep his town together in these difficult times than from any real ill will. "We have barely enough power reserves for ourselves, without dolling it out to every stranger who wanders into town." He didn't even attempt to be pleasant. These rogue wanderers were a waste of his time.  
  
"Yes, but we only need a little," Ringo persisted. Normally he wouldn't have bothered being so diplomatic, but they badly needed the power. "Just enough to..."  
  
"Well, a little's more than we can give you," the Mayor interrupted. "We're not a welfare   
  
station for wandering beggars. As it is, we can only power up our generator once a month."   
  
Caught by this sudden revelation, Ringo faltered. Just once? Really??  
  
The Mayor saw his hesitation, and pressed it home. "Once, that's it. And even then for no longer than five hours. That's so the spidercrabs won't have time to find us. So you see, stranger, even if we wanted to help you, which we don't, we can't, so we won't," he concluded smugly. "Now, get out of here before I get angry." He heaved his considerable bulk out of his chair, turning to walk away.  
  
"Mister, you don't know who you're talking to." Ringo had reached the end of his patience. "We're Space Knights."  
  
The Mayor smirked. "Yeah, I thought as much. I've got news for you. Space Knights aren't too popular around here. It's thanks to you guys that we're in the fix we're in. If you'd have done the job you're paid for there wouldn't be any spidercrabs, would there? Now leave me alone," he demanded, waving Ringo off dismissively. "You're giving me a headache."  
  
"Hang on!" Ringo slammed his hands down on the table. It was time someone taught this jerk a lesson!  
  
"No." Pushing himself away from the wall where he had been watching the argument, Blade finally spoke up. "Save your breath, Ringo."  
  
Outside, Blade and Ringo made their way through the town, back to where the landcruiser was parked on the outskirts. The people around them were downcast, quiet conversations being muttered in private circles. Numerous glares were sent their way, and Ringo eyed the various guns the townspeople held warily.  
  
"Friendly little burg, isn't it?" He muttered to Blade, with wry contempt. "Look at these guys. I'd feel more welcome walking in on a spidercrab slumber party."  
  
Blade, though, felt a little more sympathy towards the townspeople. In his wanderings, he'd seen far too many people in this state, fighting each and every day for the scraps the aliens had left them. He understood a little too well their desperation. "Can you really blame them?" He replied to his companion. "Their energy's the most precious thing they've got."  
  
"Yeah, well maybe we'll have a little bit better luck in the morning," Ringo suggested, without much belief in the idea.  
  
Suddenly, the two young men found their pathway blocked by a young girl. "'Scuse me," she asked shyly. "Would you like to buy a flower?" She proffered her colourful bunch before them hopefully.  
  
Ringo smiled. The kid was probably trying to help out her parents with a few extra dollars. Then his smile turned smug. He knew an opportunity when he saw one. "Star loves flowers," he said deliberately to Blade. "Why not buy her some?"  
  
Blade frowned at the suggestion. "Hmph." Brushing past the bewildered young girl, he ignored the suggestion and continued walking.  
  
"Hey, don't be shy!" Ringo called teasingly, hurrying to catch up with the taciturn young man. "Look, it's not like she doesn't already know how you feel about her. You guys were getting pretty tight before the team split up and you disappeared into the woodwork," he reminded Blade, with just a touch of disapproval. Star had gone half out of her mind with worry for the serious young warrior... and maybe it was time Blade knew that. "The whole time you were missing, when we thought maybe you'd bought the farm, it hit her pretty hard," Ringo continued. "She was as low as I've ever seen her." Blade, he saw, was still not listening. "I'm being serious kid." Ringo stopped walking, staring into the distance, where a church loomed out of the darkness. "I've never known Star to be especially religious, but one time, I think I even saw her praying for you." His tone showed the depths of his bewilderment at that little discovery.  
  
He had obviously got Blade's attention with that one. "She was?" he asked, in obvious surprise.  
  
"Personally, I have no idea whether that stuff works or not." Ringo turned away from the church he had been staring at, and put his arm casually over Blade's shoulder. "Listen, between you and me, you may owe that girl your life, a few flowers is the least you could do." Well, that got him paying attention, Ringo thought with a grin, and casually turned back to the path they had been walking. Blade, suddenly having far too much to think about, just stood and stared at him go.  
  
Back at the landcruiser, Maggie stirred the stew, while listening to Ringo's tale of how things had gone - or not gone, as the case may be, in the town. Why that crawling, no good, useless...  
  
"The Mayor said no?" she finally shouted. "And so you come crawling back here with your tail between your legs? You're just going to leave it at that? We're Space Knights, Ringo." she ranted. "We never take no for an answer. I can't believe you'd let him get away with it." She waved her ladle at Ringo pointedly... and unfortunately managed to flick some of the scalding stew onto his hand.  
  
"Yaaagghh!" Ringo yelped, waving the offending limp in pain.  
  
"Ahh!" Maggie gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Sorry," she apologised, sheepishly.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Nothing a few skin grafts couldn't fix," Ringo told her dryly. "Anyway, tomorrow's the day they're scheduled to fire up the generator. We'll try asking again then."  
  
"Do you think they'll be any more helpful tomorrow?" Tina, ever the optimist, asked hopefully.  
  
"Just let me deal with them, the greedy creepozoids!" Maggie replied, taking another swing with her ladle. "I'll teach them to be more helpful."  
  
From the shadows behind the landcruiser, Star watched their conversation silently. Perhaps she should have gone to have dinner with them, but after the disaster of her cooking attempt, she just wasn't hungry. Then her face fell, as she realised Blade wasn't among the group by the campfire. Which meant he would be... Star looked around... yes, there he was, sitting in the dark a way off. He looked so morose, off on his own...  
  
Blade, for his part, was deeply immersed in thought. He couldn't help it. Every time he closed his eyes, he kept seeing her face, how scared, and yet how brave she had looked as she faced Sabre for the last time... and her apology to her only remaining brother... even as his sister had died, she had thought only of him...  
  
"Blade?"  
  
"Huh?" Startled by the voice, Blade turned. Giving him a gentle smile, not entirely sure she was welcome here, Star gingerly sat down beside him.  
  
"What's up there? That monster on the far side of the moon? Or were you thinking about Shara again?"  
  
Blade hesitated, and then, to Star's relief, he answered, instead of closing up again. "Shara, and Darkon. And how powerless I am," he finished dejectedly.  
  
"Oh, that'll change, Blade," she tried to soothe him. "Some day, everything will be put right, again. I'm sure of it. Otherwise, the universe wouldn't make much sense, now would it?" It was incredible, Blade thought, that even after all they had been through, even after all the pain and suffering, she could believe so firmly in their ultimate success. While he, on the other hand, insisted on brooding over the past. "Here, maybe this is the first step." Star handed him a computer disk. "It's a data file I've put together on one of Sabre's henchmen named Teknoman Axe. "  
  
That got Blade's attention. "Yeah, go on."  
  
"I figured if we could track him down we'd have a shot at taking his crystal," Star explained.  
  
For the first time in a long, long while, Blade smiled. "Good idea. Thanks, Star."  
  
And he was rewarded with a warming smile from his companion. "I know it's not a lot, but it's all I've got for now." There was a moment of awkward silence, then Star's face fell again. "We won't be going anywhere if we don't find a power source."  
  
"Yeah, you're right." Blade glared down at the town again. Tomorrow, they would have to come up with a new plan...  
  
It was just after dawn the following day. Crowds of people gathered near the generator tower, each anxious to get the power they needed for another month. But despite the tense expectation in the air, the people were surprisingly calm and civil... until the sound of a pair of guns being cocked...  
  
Ringo glared at the two henchmen standing between him and the Mayor. "Come on, we only want enough to get us to the next outpost," he insisted. "You wouldn't even miss it."  
  
"We're not going to beg if that's what you want," Maggie interjected. "We're Space Knights. If it weren't for us, none of you would even be alive." It was about time someone started giving them a little gratitude for their effort, she thought vehemently.  
  
"Save your breath. We're not impressed." Behind his armed goons, the Mayor felt safe indeed. "What did you expect, that we be intimidated by those fancy uniforms you wear? Well, we've got you out-manned and out-gunned and we won't be pushed around."  
  
"Ringo?" Maggie put a restraining hand on Ringo's arm. Sheesh, the poor guy looked about ready to explode.  
  
"Hit the road, soldier, before things get ugly."  
  
"He's right, now's not the time," Maggie whispered urgently to Ringo. He was ready to let fly, and the last thing they needed was a fight. Reluctantly, Ringo let himself be led away.  
  
The Mayor smirked as he watched them go. "All right, turn on the generator."  
  
Up on the tower, the lookout scanned the horizons for any sign of spidercrab activity. "All clear so far, sir. Go ahead and start her up."  
  
"Start the turbines," The Mayor commanded into his portable radio. In the heart of the generator, the power circuits began glowing with electricity, and the first of the lines of people came forward to charge their power packs.  
  
Back inside the landcruiser, the Space Knights withdrew from the town.  
  
"That selfish, over-fed oaf!" Maggie ranted on. She'd started just after they'd left the town, and was still going at full throttle. "Who does he think he is? Hasn't he ever heard of share and share alike. You ought to pay him a visit in the teknosuit, Ringo."  
  
Ringo chuckled. "That would sure wipe the grin off his face."  
  
"What are you talking about? Get a hold of yourselves," Star snapped at them both. "They're civilians. We're not attacking them no matter how unfriendly they may be. Now at half power we should have enough energy to get to the next outpost, so let's get going."  
  
Back at the town, the Mayor patrolled the lines of people waiting for their turn at the power outlets. "Space Knights! Ha!" he muttered smugly. "That was easier than I though it would be. So much for them."  
  
Up on the tower, the lookout continued it's vigil. "Nothing on the horizon yet," they reported.   
  
Suddenly, down below the tower, the ground began to shake. Inside the generator, the meters began fluctuating wildly, spark flying from the console. And on the surface, rocks and dust exploded into the air, as a huge spidercrab tunnelled up from beneath the generator.  
  
Inside the generator, panic ensued. "The energy flow's been interrupted. Quick, stop the turbines!"  
  
"We can't! We've lost control of it!!"  
  
"A spidercrab. It's huge!" Inside the landcruiser, Maggie plastered herself to the window, aghast at the huge monster that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the town.  
  
Ringo leapt from his seat to stand beside her. "Yeah. Looks like they started pumping energy at the wrong time. That monster's about to make a power lunch out of that generator of their's." He didn't sound too upset about it, though.  
  
"I'm taking us back," Star declared firmly,   
  
"Come on, Star. Don't be a simp," Ringo protested. "They weren't gonna help us, why should we help them?" He was being childish, and he knew it... but still, people as unfriendly as them just didn't deserve the time of day sometimes...  
  
"It's our job!" She sounded more than a little exasperated. "We can't just turn our backs."  
  
Blade apparently agreed with Star's philosophy. "You'd better get into your teknosuit," he told Ringo firmly, before he raced from the room to the hanger where the Teknobot was stored.  
  
Ringo frowned as he watched Blade go. "They treat us like dirt and now we have to go out and save their hides? Boy, there are times this job is no fun at all," he pouted.  
  
Blade quickly transformed once he reached the hanger.  
  
"Cruiser launching dock open. Ready when you are, Blade," Maggie reported, tapping quickly at the landcruiser's controls.  
  
Back in the town, chaos ensued, people running in a full stampede, trying to flee the terrible creature attacking their only power source. Caught in the confusion, a young girl was knocked to the ground, the carefully picked flowers she had been holding flung from her hands. No! She couldn't lose her flowers! Huddling herself into a corner, the girl stared through the tumble of legs rushing past her, eyes fixed on her fallen bouquet.  
  
As Star raced back towards the town in the jeep, Maggie donned her headphones for the radio.  
  
"Star's on her way now," she announced. "Tina and I will coordinate the attack   
  
from here. Ringo, can you hear me?"  
  
"Roger." Ringo's voice came through the static. "This is a bad idea."  
  
"Get ready to back up Blade," Maggie commanded, ignoring Ringo's complaint. "We need all the fire power we've got."  
  
Emerging from the Teknobot's interlock chamber, Blade swung himself onto Pegas' back, as the pair raced towards the battle.  
  
"I know I should have called first," he quipped, as he descended towards the spidercrab, "but I hope you don't mind me dropping in like this." Backed up by Pegas' onboard guns, he launched himself into the fight.   
  
On the ground, the towns people made their own attempt at defending their generator, firing lasers at the huge creature. Unfortunately, the only effect was to annoy the spidercrab, and it swung around to face these new attackers.  
  
To his dismay, the Mayor watched as the crowd around him bolted for safety. "Stand your ground," he yelled at them. "We've got to defend the generator, you cowards." Then, as he looked up at the huge creature, he regretted his words, a wave of terror overcoming him as the spidercrab bore down on him.  
  
Then, out of nowhere, came a flash of blue light. The large blue and white teknosuit landed in front of him, the man inside still not over his dislike of the Mayor.  
  
"Gee, what a surprise," Ringo said dryly. "Those goons of yours seemed so brave   
  
when they were facing unarmed people. You just can't get good help nowadays, can you?" he mocked the Mayor.  
  
"It's about time," the Mayor snapped angrily. "What were you Space Knights waiting for, an engraved invitation? Stop those things," he commanded.  
  
Inside the teknosuit, Ringo scowled. "Geez, this guy really wins the ingrate of the year award," he muttered to himself. "You know, I have half a mind to leave him here," he spoke up, this time so the Mayor could hear him, focusing his gunsight on the spidercrab. "Woah, where'd that big sucker come from?" Even Ringo was a little intimidated by this sucker.  
  
"I got him, Ringo," Blade called, sailing in on the teknobot. He collided with one of the spidercrab's five eyes, rendering it useless, but failed to do any more damage with his attack.  
  
Ringo fired at the spidercrab. "I think you just gave him a headache," he scoffed. The spidercrab turned away from its two attackers, deciding they weren't worth it's attention, and focused on demolishing the walls of the generator tower.  
  
"Watch out! The generator!" the mayor yelled desperately.  
  
Blade and the teknobot swept back for another pass. As they approached, Blade leapt from the teknobot and embedded his lance in the spidercrab's neck. The creature screeched in pain, but the wound didn't seem to weaken it at all.  
  
"Sure can take a punch," Blade observed dryly. But as he looked past the spidercrab, something on the ground caught his attention. "Huh? The flower girl!" he gasped as he recognised her tiny form. "What's she doing there?" In his momentary distraction, Blade didn't see the tentacles whipping out from the spidercrab's head, until they had wrapped around him, and flung him away from the spidercrab's body.  
  
"Blade, watch out," Ringo shouted with concern. Blade groaned and raised his lance to retaliate, but just at that moment, the spidercrab reached out, pinning him between its giant claws as if he was nothing more than a doll. Ringo fired several shots into the spidercrab's fleshy body, but it paid no attention. "Rats!" he cursed loudly.  
  
"Blade!" Star called in encouragement. "What are you waiting for? Destroy that thing."  
  
The teknoblasters on Blade's shoulders were activated, preparing to fire at point blank range, but even as the spidercrab's tentacles slowly suffocated him, Blade refused to fire, seeing in his mind's eye the small child, huddled beside the rubble of a building. "No, I can't do it. Not with her in the blast range."  
  
"Your war heads, Blade! Fire 'em!" Ringo called impatiently.  
  
"The fool. What's he waiting for?" the mayor asked in irritation.  
  
"Go on, let him have it," Ringo called again.  
  
"He's pointing," Star cried suddenly, seeing purpose in Blade's seemingly helpless struggles.  
  
"Down there," Blade mentally urged his friends, hoping one of them would see the problem.  
  
Star's gaze followed Blade's desperate gesture until she too saw the child huddled at the edge of the battle field. "A child!" Without thinking, she leapt into the jeep and gunned it towards the girl, shouting "Out of the way!" when the mayor didn't step aside fast enough.  
  
Seeing movement on the ground, the spidercrab turned, suddenly interested in the car and it's passenger.  
  
"I've got you." Star carefully lifted the girl into her arms, and placed her in the jeep before leaping back into the driver's seat. She shifted gears, nearly tipping the jeep over as she swerved to avoid the spidercrab's claws as it tried to pierce them straight through the car.  
  
Relieved to see the girl finally out of the way, Blade wasted no time in freeing himself from the spidercrab's grip. "A guy your size must have quite an appetite," he quipped as he fired up his teknoblasters, and gave himself the distance he needed to fire on the spidercrab. "Okay, bright eyes," he muttered darkly. "Eat this."  
  
The beam of energy shot through the spidercrab like a hot knife through butter. The beast screamed as it was vaporised, and the small group of onlookers sheltered themselves from the whirlwind of dust and heat as the fallout from the explosion washed over them. As the dust cleared, Star looked up from her crouch beside the jeep to see Blade on one knee in the middle of the crater, leaning heavily on his lance.  
  
"Blade!"  
  
Blade's helmet beacon flashed dimly, a sure sign of his near exhaustion. But as he looked up at the sound of Star's voice, even he felt brighter as he saw the girl Star had rescued.  
  
"Oh. Hello, there. You gave us quite a scare, young lady. Are you okay?"  
  
"Fine," the girl replied, the tell-tale signs of adoration in her voice. It wasn't everyday one was rescued by a super hero, after all!  
  
"Good," Blade replied gratefully, then he couldn't help noticing the equally adoring look on Star's face.  
  
Later that day, when the excitement of the attack had finally settled down, the town's people were once again firing up the turbines, this time for a slightly different purpose. Thick power cords ran from the generator to the landcruiser's energy banks, while Ringo and Tina kept an eye on the technician at the generator end.  
  
Meanwhile, the Mayor was doing some hasty apologising. "I never meant anything personal. You've got to believe me," he tried to convince an unimpressed Maggie.  
  
Sitting in front of the computer screen inside the landcruiser, Star watched the data feed with satisfaction. "Okay, the power feed from the generator's coming on line now. It all looks good here, Tina. Energy tanks are already at 60% capacity."  
  
"Roger, Star," Tina's voice came over the intercom. "Everything's fine at this end, too."  
  
"Looks like we're up and running again," Star declared happily. Behind her, the cockpit's electronic doors slid open. Star turned to see who had come in, but instead all she saw was a bunch of flowers, hastily dropped on the seat behind her. Glancing around, she saw Blade, already disappearing back through the door. But before the door closed behind him, he stopped and hesitated.  
  
"I... I know they're not much. I owe you a lot more than a... a bunch of flowers," he stammered nervously, without looking at Star. "But, well..." Lost for words and unimpressed with his own inadequacy, Blade left the room without waiting for a reply.  
  
Once she had overcome her surprise, Star smiled to herself. "Oh Blade," she whispered fondly. Crossing the room, she picked up the bunch of flowers and buried her nose in the fragrant scent. "Well, I guess I can be satisfied with these," she thought to herself, with a hint of mischief. "For now..."  
  
If anyone wants to write a review, I'd love a little encouragement in transcribing the next episode. 


	3. Episode 29 Teknotrap

Episode 29 - Tekno-Trap Transcribed by Scutter  
  
I had all these really good intentions about getting this episode out quickly... and then I lost my job, had to move house twice, and then got a new job which is now taking up even more time than my old one did...  
  
Um... no promises about when I'll get episode 31 out. Work and study and my pathetic little social life are taking up lots of time lately. I'll try not to make it too long though. By the way, I don't have number 30 on tape, sorry folks, but don't panic, cos it was a crappy episode anyway. You're not missing much.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Teknoman, or the script, or the plot. This is just a fic-version of an episode I don't own.  
  
The Green Earth continued its journey, travelling from town to town in search of a way to fight the aliens. Coming upon the latest village, the vehicle crossed a wide arched stone bridge over the river into town.  
  
Inside the cabin, Star observed the streets around them. "We must be getting warmer," she noted. "It looks like this place has been attacked recently."  
  
"Yeah, I can still see it smoking," Tina agreed in amazement. "Maybe those rumours were true, that Teknoman Axe has been in the neighbourhood." In their line of work, it paid to keep an ear to the ground, especially when Blade was still searching for another Teknocrystal.  
  
Blade looked at the damage with a more calculating eye. "It's possible they attacked some of the cities around here, but not this one," he said confidently.  
  
"No?" Maggie asked in surprise. "How can you be so sure, Blade?"  
  
"Look around, Maggie," he pointed out. "If a Teknoman had attacked this place there wouldn't be anything left standing." Despite the widespread destruction, most of the buildings had sustained relatively little structural damage.  
  
"Yes," Maggie sighed, leaning close over Blade's shoulder. "You've got a point."  
  
In the driver's seat, Ringo stared stonily out the windscreen without saying anything. Star noticed his unusual silence and asked, "Ringo, are you all right?" Just at that moment, the wheels of the landcruiser hit a particularly rough patch of ground, giving the cabin crew a rough jolt. Was that deliberate, Star wondered, or was it simply that the road had fallen into disrepair? With greater concern she asked again, "Ringo?" But Ringo did not reply.  
  
A short time later, the landcruiser had been secured and Ringo eased one of the jeeps down the loading ramp. "I want to check out those large estates on the far side of town," he told Blade and Maggie, who were waiting beside the landcruiser. Star and Tina had joined him in the jeep. "Maybe we'll get lucky and find a private energy dump," he suggested.  
  
"All right," Blade agreed. "Maggie and I will reconnoitre the city centre and look for survivors. Let's rendezvous back here in two hours," he said, his voice its usual firm tone.  
  
"Right," Star agreed. "Keep on your toes and watch your backs, guys," she warned them, despite already knowing they would be careful. "Whoever's responsible for all this damage might still be around and want to finish what they started." Almost before she had finished speaking, Ringo threw the jeep into gear and accelerated away, without even a wave as a farewell.  
  
Blade watched them go, silent for a moment. "Wish I knew what it was that was bothering Ringo," he mused, as they disappeared.  
  
Maggie looked round at Blade in surprise. To be honest, she had hardly noticed anything was wrong, but she didn't say anything to contradict his concerns.  
  
Heading towards the outskirts of town, Ringo, Star and Tina were racing along the road at speeds just on the optimistic side of safe. Finally, Star decided to speak up.  
  
"Ringo, what's...?" But before she could say any more, the jeep hit a deep pothole, jolting the crew.  
  
"Sorry. Road isn't what it used to be," Ringo interrupted her, neither sounding sorry, nor acknowledging the fact that she had spoken. They continued on, past houses which were clearly abandoned, but otherwise relatively free of damage, until suddenly, the road turned into a dead end. An overturned bus blocked most of the road, combining with a pile of rubble to cut off the path completely. Ringo brought the jeep to a halt and stood up in his seat, surveying the damage.  
  
"Looks like we'll have to take another road," Star concluded after a moment.  
  
"Hey, look! Vereuse Avenue!" Tina spotted a battered street sign lying amongst the rubble. "I've heard that somewhere before. Ringo, isn't Vereuse the street that you grew up on?" Tina blurted out, making Star look round in surprise.  
  
"What?" she asked softly. Suddenly the pieces fell into place in her mind. That would certainly explain Ringo's strange moodiness and silence.  
  
"Hang on!" Ringo called, sitting down and throwing the jeep into reverse. Then, in one of those ridiculous moves that never works in real life, but which cartoons seem to have no trouble with, he sped forward, using the front of the bus as a jump ramp, and they cleared the rubble as Tina and Star clung on tightly.  
  
"Ringo!!" Star cried in protest. They landed with a thud, then took off at the same break-neck speed as before.  
  
Finally, they came to one estate in particular, and Ringo parked the jeep without explanation. He climbed out and stood for a moment in front of the decorative crest on the gate. Star also took note of the crest's design, as it confirmed her suspicions. Suddenly, Ringo took off through the gate and towards the house.  
  
"Wait, Ringo, where are you going?" Tina stood up from her seat.  
  
Beside her, Star also rose to her feet. "Let him go," she said softly. "I think I know where he's headed. At the academy, they always teased him about how he can from such an old, aristocratic family," she explained. "They called him 'Little Lord Fontleroy'. That's his family's crest. I saw it on a letter he got once."  
  
"So this is Ringo's home?" Tina asked in amazement.  
  
"Yes - what's left of it," Star concluded sadly. The entrance way was damaged and what they could see of the garden was clearly overgrown and had been neglected for some time.  
  
Inside the house, Ringo ran from room to room in a desperate search for his family. "Hello? Father?" he called out. Debris littered the rooms; there were cracks in the walls; dust covered every surface. It was clear no one had lived here for some time. In the old sitting room, Ringo looked up and saw a great gaping hole in the roof. His face fell as he realised what had become of his family home. He made his way slowly towards the old mantle piece and picked up a photograph of a young blond girl, worry and sorrow flooding through him. Could it really be that all his friends and family had been killed??  
  
'You won't forget about us, will you, Richard? Now that you're a high flying Space Knight.' Ringo remembered the young woman's voice as clearly as if he had heard it yesterday, and he felt a wave of guilt flow through him. He hadn't forgotten them, but it had been a long time since he had visited. Maybe too long.  
  
Moving on, he stepped into another room, and saw his trophy case against the far wall. But before he reached it, he felt his foot brush against something, and reached down to pick up one of the trophies from where it lay on the floor. The domed object had cracked around the top, but it brought back a flood of memories, none the less.  
  
'The trophy for the most valuable player of the year is awarded to Richard Vereuse', he remembered his old teacher announcing, 'who's last minute goal won the championship for his team.' As he remembered the words, he looked up and saw a picture of himself, and one of his old soccer team hanging on the wall. So many good memories from back then. 'Was it really that long ago?' he thought darkly. Lost in thought, he wandered over to the window and perched himself on the ledge, still staring at the trophy in his hand. He turned and glanced out the window, eyes widening in surprise as he looked down into the yard.  
  
'The pool, of course.' The old family pool was dry, now no more than a concrete hole in the ground. But in a fit of impulsiveness, Ringo stepped back from the window and then launched himself through it, not caring as the glass shattered around him. Given the state of the house, one more broken window wouldn't do any harm. He landed easily, and then crouched down next to the diving board, reaching for a panel hidden in the pool's edge. "The blast shelter. I nearly forgot," he muttered to himself.  
  
But before he could open the panel, a voice demanded from behind him, "Get away from there and put down that trophy, you hooligan. I promise you, I will shoot."  
  
"Okay, okay," Ringo agreed easily, and dropped the trophy.  
  
"Now, on your feet, you..." the voice began to order him, but as Ringo stood up, he also leapt backwards, taking out the dark figure with a practiced kick. But no sooner had the man hit the ground than Ringo realised he knew him.  
  
"My gosh, Barnaby, it's you!" he exclaimed in surprise.  
  
Barnaby was silent for a moment, then he recovered himself enough to speak. "Why, Master Richard. You've come back at last," he murmured, his voice sounding suddenly older and more tired than it had moments ago. His eyes filled with tears and Ringo reached down to help him up.  
  
"I was an idiot not to recognise your voice. Forgive me, old friend," Ringo apologised, thoroughly relieved at seeing someone, at least, still alive and looking after the property.  
  
"Oh, no Sir. It was I who was to blame..." Barnaby began apologising as well, but Ringo wouldn't hear it, and pulled him into an impulsive hug.  
  
"Skip it, Barnaby. I'm just happy you're alive. Hey, I just realised why the house is deserted," Ringo said, feeling much happier now. "Because of me, right? Since you didn't recognise me, you sent everybody to the shelter." He went back to the pool side, opened the panel and entered the access code that he still remembered. The floor of the pool retracted and the blast shelter rose up from deep in the ground. The entrance door rolled upwards, revealing the servants who looked after the house.  
  
"Hello, everyone, it's great to see you again," Ringo greeted them as some of the children rushed forward to welcome him. "But where's my dad?"  
  
"I am sorry, Master Richard," Barnaby spoke up again from behind him. "But your father, the General, is not here. As soon as he learned that an attack was imminent, he ordered all the servants and their children into the shelter while he remained above ground to face the aliens. We haven't seen him since."  
  
"Sounds like father," Ringo said, his voice calm and steady, even as he felt tears prick behind his eyes. He heard his father's voice again in the back of his mind.  
  
'Shed no tears for the man who falls in the line of duty. He's only done what's expected of him, the least you can ask of any soldier.'  
  
"Okay, old man. No tears," Ringo agreed with the memory, staring firmly at the ground until he had control of himself.  
  
Meanwhile, on the far side of the village...  
  
Blade, Maggie and the Teknobot walked purposefully down the street.  
  
"How long have you been tracking it?" Blade asked the teknobot, while Maggie struggled to keep up with their conversation.  
  
"For several minutes," Pegas replied in his mechanical voice. "Purpose and identity unknown, but suspicious. Course and speed analogous to our own. Approximately thirty metres due east."  
  
"Right," Blade acknowledged.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Maggie finally asked, confusion and curiosity getting the better of her. Sometimes Blade just seemed to have a sixth sense that left the rest of them struggling to keep up.  
  
"Time we got a look at them, Pegas," Blade commanded, the undaunted anticipation of battle in his voice.  
  
"Affirmative," Pegas replied.  
  
Blade didn't bother to look round as the teknobot stopped, raised his left arm and fired several shots into the concrete wall alongside the road, which exploded in a pile of dust and rubble.  
  
Having not seen the explosion coming, Maggie covered her ears and ducked. "Oh, no!"  
  
A young man choked his way out of the dust, while Blade leapt into the air, landing neatly behind him, and efficiently restraining him in a headlock.  
  
"Hey, let me go! What's the big idea?" the man yelled frantically.  
  
"Out with it," Blade demanded calmly. "Why have you been following us?"  
  
"I'm sorry. A case of mistaken identity. I thought you were someone else," the man babbled. He'd clearly underestimated this innocent looking pair.  
  
Blade dropped the man on the ground, where he landed with a groan at the rough treatment.  
  
"Who, exactly?" Blade asked, standing over him intimidatingly.  
  
"I though you might be one of that bunch that tore up this town." The man sat up, holding his head, heavy indignation in his voice.  
  
"The aliens?" Blade asked in surprise.  
  
"No, not them. That motorcycle gang, the Hyenas. They're the real monsters, not the aliens."  
  
"You mean human beings did this?" Blade asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah, if you can believe it," the man agreed. "As human as you and me."  
  
Elsewhere in the town, the sound of mortar fire again broke the silence, to be followed closely by the roar of engines and the hooting of unruly youths.  
  
"You always said you'd be a teacher, didn't you, Sophia," Ringo said warmly.  
  
"Yes, but our school's a shambles. We have no computers," The young woman replied. "We don't even have books." She and Ringo were leaning against the desk at the front of the school room. Children scattered about the room with nothing much to do. But this was better than wandering the streets in search of entertainment. The soccer ball some of the children were playing with rolled down the isle and landed at Ringo's feet. Without thinking, he flipped it up onto his knee, and began bouncing it, keeping it perfectly steady without any assistance from his hands.  
  
"These are hard times for everybody," he agreed, "but they're toughest on the kids, I guess. Here you go, little guy." He tossed the ball back to the boy who had been chasing it, who caught it, a new look of wonder and adoration in his eyes.  
  
"The main problem is boredom. There's so little for them to do," Sophia continued. "Richard, I wonder..." she said seriously, and Ringo turned to face her. "You used to play soccer. Do you think you could teach them how to play?" she asked earnestly.  
  
"Come on. This is no time for fun and games, Sophia," Ringo objected. "We happen to be in the middle of a war."  
  
"How can I forget," Sophia agreed sadly. "And that's precisely why I think it's so important." She turned back to watch the children, who had gathered in a circle around the boy with the soccer ball, now trying to bounce it on his knee as Ringo had done. "I think there should be more to life than mere survival. Now more than ever they need to have fun. They need to have something to fill their days besides chaos, burnt out homes and brutality." Sophia knew that if she couldn't help some of these children, they could well end up like the Hyenas.  
  
"But where would your playing field be?" Star asked, looking at the practical side of things. "There isn't a patch of ground anywhere in town not covered with debris."  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid that's true," Sophia admitted softly.  
  
Ringo crossed his arms stubbornly, still not happy with the idea. "It's not exactly safe out there," he pointed out.  
  
"Especially with the Hyenas still around. That crazy bunch of animals might return any minute to finish the job they started," Sophia agreed.  
  
"So Blade was right about it not being Teknomen who attacked this town, it was people," Tina said. They had managed to catch up with Maggie and Blade earlier that day, after Ringo had returned from his estate.  
  
"And that's the point. I don't want these children to become like them," Sophia implored them. "I want to give them something besides violence to hang on to. Something good and healthy and pure, and civilised..." she trailed off, staring intently at Ringo.  
  
"Okay, Sophia, you've convinced me." Ringo turned towards her, finally giving up his protests. "We'll set up a playing field on my father's estate. But I'll only do it on one condition," he added, as the soccer ball again landed in his hands.  
  
"Anything, Richard. Just name it," Sophia agreed. Whatever the price, it would be worth it to help the children.  
  
Ringo started to walk away, the soccer ball now balanced on his head. Then he turned back to her with a smirk. "Stop calling me Richard. Nowadays, it's Ringo to my friends."  
  
Sophia smiled at him, tears slowly filling her eyes.  
  
The old shed on the playing field fell with a crash as its supports finally crumbled, giving way to the pressure from the rope that was attached to the jeep nearby.  
  
"We've got a soccer field!" Ringo called, waving his arm in the air, and the children replied with a loud cheer.  
  
"Here." Tina appeared at Ringo's elbow, offering him a water bottle. "I've never seen you sweat before," she joked.  
  
"Thanks Tina." Ringo accepted the bottle. "Now all we need to get things started is a real soccer ball."  
  
"Don't you worry, Ringo," Tina said slyly. "Sophia's taking care of it. I think she's got something special in mind."  
  
Ringo's head snapped up from where he was taking a drink. "Special? What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
Back inside the dim school building, Sophia went straight to her office and picked up the soccer ball sitting on her desk. "The ball Richard won the championship with. I've kept it all this time." Holding the ball tightly, she dashed back out of her office, but stopped short in the classroom as hooted calls sounded from near the window.  
  
"Hey, pretty lady," a voice jeered at her. "Wanna come out and play with us?" Sophia's eyes widened in terror, holding the soccer ball in front of her as if it could shield her from the Hyenas.  
  
Back at Ringo's house, a shrill voice could be heard above the roar of engines. "We're ba-ack." The Hyenas raised their signature flags, firing mortars upon the old house. Debris rained down on the group of children near the building.  
  
"What's that?" Ringo spun around in alarm. "Mortar fire?"  
  
"I fear that wretched band of murderers has returned, Master Richard." Barnaby said.  
  
Ringo took off towards the front gate. As he approached it, he heard a voice mocking them.  
  
"Your girlfriend can't play today. I'm afraid she's kinda tied up right now." Indeed she was, lashed to the shaft of one of the Hyena's cannons at the centre of their convoy.  
  
"I give up," Ringo said, surveying the rabble with disdain. "Who are these buzzards?  
  
"Look, they got teacher tied up there," one of the children cried, pointing to where Sophia hung helplessly.  
  
Ringo growled, and then commanded, "Stay back, everybody." He slowly walked towards the gang.  
  
As he approached, the gang jeered at him. "Whatcha gonna do about it, rich boy?"  
  
"Stop, Ringo. Stay back there are too many," Sophia called.  
  
"They outnumber you, Sir," Barnaby agreed.  
  
But Star had more faith in Ringo than the others, muttering to herself only the simple warning, "careful..."  
  
"Listen you pinheads," Ringo snarled at the gang. "Put her down and get off my property."  
  
"Or what?" one of the lackeys asked. "You and that spindly old butler of yours gonna take us on?" The crowd behind him burst into laughter. But suddenly their laughter was silenced as a much more dangerous crowd descended from the sky. The sunlight was blocked out for a moment as a swarm of spidercrabs descended from above.  
  
"Never thought there'd be a day I'd be happy to see a spidercrab," Star said, watching the swarm fly in.  
  
"Most likely they were drawn here by those idiots firing their mortars," Tina agreed.  
  
"Keep an eye on the others," Star ordered, and she turned and ran back towards the house.  
  
"Forget about our little rich boy for now, guys," the leader of the Hyenas ordered. "Get ready to move out." But the order came too late as a spidercrab attacked one of their tanks, and it exploded in a ball of flames, sending the gang scurrying for shelter.  
  
As debris and engine fragments rained down, Star appeared again, driving the jeep out of the estate grounds.  
  
"Hurry, Ringo. I've got your Teknosuit," she called.  
  
The Hyenas began firing mortars again, this time with the spidercrabs as their targets rather than innocent buildings. Not surprisingly, the shells had little effect, other than to irritate the spidercrabs.  
  
One spidercrab was taking a particular interest in Sophia, still bound helplessly to the cannon. "No!" she cried out, turning her face away from the five-eyed monster. Then suddenly, the creature vanished in a whirlwind of blue and green energy.  
  
"Have no fear, the cavalry's here," Ringo called as he descended in the teknosuit. He swung upon the line of spidercrabs, firing with perfect accuracy. "That's it, stand still. It makes my job a whole lot easier," he said, as he continued firing. He ducked out of the way as a spidercrab claw landed perilously close to him, twisting to fire a shot directly upwards before he accelerated backwards away from the battle, colliding with a wall before he managed to regain his balance. When the ground was relatively clear, he finally returned to the young woman tied to the canon shaft. "Sophia, you must be getting tired of hanging around up there." With a well-aimed swipe of his laser, he sliced through the ropes and carefully caught Sophia as she fell limply to the ground. "Gotcha!" he said, and then landed near Star. "Take her, Star. I think she's fainted," He told her, handing over the unconscious woman.  
  
"I've got her," Star replied, as Ringo returned to the battle. But just as he was firing upon the next spidercrab, Barnaby appeared at his side.  
  
"Don't worry, Sir. I've got you covered," he called, firing at the spidercrab, but Ringo knew mere guns would be useless.  
  
"Barnaby, stay out of this," he snapped, stepping between the butler and the spidercrab.  
  
"Take Sophia to the shelter," Star told him, handing Sophia to him.  
  
"Go with him, Star," Ringo ordered. The battle was getting way too heated for anyone without heavy duty armour.  
  
"Time for you to bail out too, Ringo," Star reminded him. "You can't handle them all, and you must be running low on ammo."  
  
"Sorry, but I gotta go the route," Ringo told her quietly. "You know how it is. Like father, like son." Taking the easy way out was not usually Ringo's style, but the news of his father's death was still quite a shock. But as he fired one more shot, a spidercrab rose up, huge and oppressive directly before him. He leapt back in surprise. "On second thought..." he amended his earlier words.  
  
Looking up past the spidercrab, Star's attention was suddenly caught by movement in the sky. "Up there," she cried, as the teknobot sailed across the sky.  
  
"Is it?" Ringo asked, amazed. Blade's timing couldn't have been any better, and he quick set to work, slicing spidercrabs.  
  
"Oh, sure, now you show up," Ringo said sarcastically, as Blade landed beside him. "After I've laid the groundwork."  
  
"Is that what you were doing?" Blade quipped right back. (AN: I just LOVE the way he says that line!!) But there was no more time for idle chatter as both warriors leapt back into the battle.  
  
Much later, after the carnage had been cleared away and the sun was setting, the children were playing soccer on their brand new field."  
  
"Your family had a beautiful home, Ringo," Star quietly consoled him on the far edge of the field. "I'm sorry it's gone. It was awfully nice of you to donate the land to the school. It's great that the kids finally have a place to play."  
  
Out on the field, a miss-timed step sent one of the children tumbling to the ground. "He tripped me!" he complained, as Sophia ran to pick him up.  
  
"Aren't you gonna miss it?" Tina asked, as Ringo stared out across the old estate.  
  
"Nah." Ringo dismissed the thought easily.  
  
"I'm sure your father would be proud." Blade added his own quiet thoughts to the conversation.  
  
"Come on, let's go," Ringo decided suddenly, turning and walking away from the field.  
  
"Wait. What's the rush?" Tina asked in surprise.  
  
"I hate long goodbyes," Ringo stated simply.  
  
"That's good because there's no time to waste." Maggie suddenly arrived in front of them. "I've picked up a distress signal from Sector Blue-tango-twelve describing an attack. It sounds like it could be the Teknoman Axe."  
  
That got everyone's attention instantly, and Blade's previously warm tone turned cold and violent. "Then what are we waiting for?"  
  
Darkness had fallen as the landcruiser once again sped across the countryside, the crew inside feeling much more despondent that they had earlier.  
  
"Just what we needed, another false alarm," Maggie mused. "These wild goose chases are starting to get me a little depressed." It may have seemed strange to an outside observer that they were so eager to face another battle, but in the end, it was the only way they were going to win against the aliens. "How about you Blade?" Maggie asked, always eager to check up on her local hero.  
  
"You could say that, sure," Blade replied, with just a touch of indifference.  
  
"I bet Blade wouldn't be depressed if he were alone with Star on a wild goose chase," Tina teased happily.  
  
"I bet you got that right," Ringo chuckled.  
  
"You are so silly." Maggie stood up from her seat to come to stand in front of Blade. "Sure Star may be good with computers and handy in a fight, but I can give you all of that as well as a perfectly executed souffle, while I don't even think she would know how to boil an egg or make toast." Whether to break up the conversation, or just to make a point, Star ran the landcruiser's front wheels through the nearest pothole, shaking the whole crew, and sending Maggie tumbling into Blade's lap "Oh, come on Star, you knew I was only joking, didn't you?" Maggie asked, slightly peeved. Apparently, jealousy was not something Star did graciously.  
  
"This is no joke. Look up a head everybody," Star snapped, bring their minds back to their mission. "Somebody's sure burning the midnight oil." In the town ahead of them, the entire sky was lit with neon lights, highlighting the rooves of the houses, right through to the hills behind the town.  
  
"Geez. What do you think it is?" Ringo asked.  
  
"A big waste of energy for one thing," was Blade's immediate reply.  
  
"Are they nuts?" Tina asked, eyes wide. "Those spotlights will draw the spidercrabs for sure."  
  
The landcruiser hit another pile of rubble, and Maggie groaned as she was again tossed about the cabin. "Star, what are you trying to do?" she complained loudly.  
  
Once they arrived in the town, the crew parked the landcruiser and headed over to the hotel that was drawing such attention to itself.  
  
"Wow!" Tina exclaimed. "This place is lit up like a giant birthday cake."  
  
"Or a spidercrab invitation," Ringo pointed out cynically.  
  
"Let's go in there and pull the plug," Blade snapped, thoroughly annoyed at the idiots in the hotel.  
  
"Hey, hey. Easy, easy," Ringo calmed his friend as he grabbed Blade's arm, stopping his somewhat reckless move. "Chill out kid. We don't want to go in there half-cocked."  
  
"Ringo's got a good point," Maggie agreed. "Who ever that is in there may not be in the mood to cooperate."  
  
"But it's wrong," Star protested. "Somebody has to stop them."  
  
"Look, maybe we ought to give them a break," Ringo suggested. "Who can blame them for wanting to blow off a little steam?  
  
"Are you saying we should just stand by and do nothing in spite of the danger?" Maggie tried to clarify the crazy idea.  
  
"Let the poor guys have some fun while they can," Ringo said.  
  
"Well, it's certainly not normal procedure." Maggie didn't sound particularly convinced.  
  
Later that night, aboard the Space Knight's landcruiser, the Green Earth...  
  
Star was eating something out of a TV dinner tray that looked like it was made completely of plastic. It was fluorescent green and fluorescent orange, and part of it may have been jello... but then again, it may not. (AN: Don't you just love cartoon graphics?? snerk)  
  
"I can't believe we just left them to carry on like that," she was verbally berating Ringo as she ate. "It's incredibly irresponsible."  
  
"Hey, come on, Star. Gimme a little credit." Ringo smirked at her. "I have a hidden purpose," he explained flippantly.  
  
"Meaning what exactly?" Star demanded angrily.  
  
"Meaning he's got some kind of a plan, right Ringo?" Tina asked innocently.  
  
"A plan. Right," he said, in the kind of voice that suggested maybe it was better they didn't ask.  
  
"Well, let's here it," Tina prompted.  
  
"Listen. All the energy pouring out of that honky tonk café is bound to draw Axe or one of the other Teknomen out of the woodwork," he explained to the crew, sitting around the dinner table. "And when he shows up, we'll be here waiting for him."  
  
"It certainly beats driving around looking for them under every rock," Maggie said thoughtfully, with the beginnings of a grin on her face.  
  
"Exactly. And on top of everything, we save fuel," Ringo pushed his point from every possible angle.  
  
"You're suggesting we use those people as bait?" Star asked, incredulously. In her opinion, it was not Ringo's brightest idea ever, and it bordered on downright lunacy.  
  
"Who cares about that bunch of bums. They deserve what they get," Ringo snarled, quite a different tune from his earlier sympathy with the men.  
  
"You mean we'd be there to intervene before anybody got hurt, isn't that right, Ringo," Tina pointed out deliberately.  
  
"A Teknoman trap. Yeah, it's worth a try," Blade said with enthusiasm, his first contribution to the strange discussion.  
  
"I'm beginning to think we may not be the first to have thought of it," Maggie surmised.  
  
"What is it, Maggie?" Ringo asked, but instead of replying, Maggie spun her chair around the face the computer on the near wall. A keyboard panel flipped out and she began typing in a flurry.  
  
"It just occurred to me that there is a mechanised mortar squad who's base is somewhere right about here." Diagrams and maps flashed rapidly across the computer screen.  
  
"The military? Here?" Tina asked in surprise.  
  
"The computer is showing a ninety man unit posted less than five kilometres to the west of us," Maggie reported her findings.  
  
"You think those voices coming from the café were soldiers?" Star exclaimed.  
  
"They might have had the very same idea we had," Maggie pointed out.  
  
"So they're trying to get the alien's attention," Star realised.  
  
"But they have no idea what they're in for," Blade growled blackly.  
  
"Gee, I take back what I said about them," Ringo sneered. "Those guys aren't bums, they're more like a bunch of suicidal maniacs." Even the Space Knights, even with the help of the teknosuit and a teknoman, sometimes had trouble dealing with a swarm of spidercrabs. Going up against them with conventional military weapons was nothing short of insane.  
  
"Maybe not," Maggie argued. "They might have a carefully worked out plan that we know nothing about. It's possible that by involving ourselves, we run the risk of jeopardising their whole operation."  
  
"Come on, without our help, they won't have a chance." Even Tina had seen enough of battles to know the odds of a military victory.  
  
"Hate to break this up," Star interrupted, "but if those incoming pingers on the monitor mean what I think they mean, the decision's out of our hands." Star's observation was correct. Dozens of spidercrabs had been drawn to the bright lights and were now beginning to descend upon the town in waves.  
  
"Looks like those jugheads got what they were looking for. You're on, Blade," Ringo told the man responsible for their front line defence, who was glaring out the window with clenched teeth and fist.  
  
Down in the town the soldiers were firing rapidly on the spidercrabs. "Keep your fire steady," one of the commanders ordered. And for the moment, it even seemed like they were making progress, spidercrabs being ripped apart in the hail of bullets. "That's it. Eat lead you sucker!"  
  
"Get on the blower and let those morons to leave this to us," Ringo was yelling at Maggie. "Tell them to pull out of there before the whole squad's lost."  
  
"Tell them yourself. Their commander's right here on the vid screen," Maggie informed him.  
  
"Welcome, Space Knights. Join the fun," the military commander invited them eagerly. But then the second screen on the computer flashed up a new threat which showed that the soldiers really had no idea what they were dealing with. The Teknoman Axe was in town.  
  
His teknoaxe swung without stopping, destroying buildings, streets and soldiers alike. A rain of bullets fell around him, but he barely noticed as they bounced off like confetti.  
  
"Who is this guy?" one of the soldiers asked, amazed, even as he continued firing on the towering figure. "Sir, my ammo's having no effect. What do you suggest?" he said into his radio, but Axe replied before his commanding officer had the chance.  
  
"I suggest you prepare to be destroyed."  
  
"I need some back up, Sir. I don't like the looks of this guy," the soldier yelled above his own gun fire, fear and desperation setting in.  
  
"The feeling's mutual, you pathetic little insect," Axe replied, raising his teknoaxe for a devastating blow.  
  
But help was not far away. "Fire!" Maggie cried on-board the landcruiser, and four missiles were launched into the air, exploding next to the teknoman. They caused little damage, but did succeed in distracting him from his target.  
  
Meanwhile, Blade had transformed, and was busy disposing of the spidercrabs. "Blade!" Axe called in greeting, as Blade retrieved his lance from the air.  
  
"I've been looking for you, Axe," Blade declared as they swung into battle, and once again, the surrounding architecture suffered the most damage, as Blade was flung into a nearby tower.  
  
"Unluckily for you, you've found me," Axe replied with supreme confidence. By now, Ringo had activated the teknosuit, and came flying out of the landcruiser to join the battle. "Who's this?" Axe looked up as Ringo arrived.  
  
"Smile!" Ringo called, as he fired his first shot, but Axe dodged the ball of energy easily.  
  
"So you want to be a Teknoman, do you?" he mocked Ringo, and sent a blast of red energy from his teknoaxe flying towards the teknosuit. But before the battle could progress any further, Blade stepped in again, swiping again and again at Axe, driving him further away from Ringo, until a final heavy kick to Axe's armour sent the evil teknoman scurrying from the battle.  
  
"Running away, you coward?" Blade called angrily after him.  
  
"I guess you've have to start looking for me all over again," Axe laughed as he rode away, not at all concerned by Blade's intended insult.  
  
"Axe, come back!" Blade screamed after him.  
  
"Save it Blade. We'll get him next time," Ringo offered, landing beside him and placing a hand on Blade's shoulder.  
  
"When will the next time be, Ringo?" Blade asked in frustration. "How many homes have to be destroyed, cities levelled, lives put in danger in order for me to find another crystal. I'm starting to wonder," he muttered as he surveyed the massive damage the city below them had sustained. "Is all this destruction worth it? Maybe there's a better way."  
  
"If there is we'll find it," Ringo said softly, knowing the consolation wasn't enough, but that it was all he had to offer for the moment.  
  
I like feedback! Feedback is fun!  
  
Ardwynna Morrigu: EIGHT YEARS!!! dies My goodness, I had forgotten it was that long ago that I first saw this series!! Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy this episode.  
  
Chaos6: Still alive, still struggling to make time for this little project. It's great to know the work is appreciated. 


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